The Hipsher brothers, Jim (left) and Jerry (right), co-own Hipsher’s Tool & Die, a local Wabash manufacturing business since 1946. Since they joined the establishment, Jim in 1955 and Jerry in 1960, neither has sought retirement and both attend work daily. Photo by Emma Rausch

By Emma Rausch

Hipsher Tool & Die has served the Wabash County community for 69 years as a family owned and operated manufacturing business. Brothers Jim Hipsher, 83, and Jerry Hipsher, 76, who joined their father’s establishment in the 1950s, also continue to serve by still working at the business. Neither have any intention of retiring any time soon either.

For the brothers, retirement isn’t as appealing as working.

“To some people, the whole retirement (idea) is the greatest thing in the world if you’ve got something to do,” Jerry said. “I have nothing else I really want to do. We have a lake cottage and a little place in Florida, but … just to do that, to be retired full-time, I’m not interested in doing that.

“I’d rather come out here because I enjoy the work I do and the people.”

With new community pool down the street, Manchester University plans swim team, seeks coach

Manchester University will hire a coach to start a swim club in the fall of 2014, with an eye toward a NCAA Division III team competition the following school year, said Rick Espeset, athletic director at Manchester University. The team will practice and compete at Strauss Peabody Aquatic and Fitness Center. Both a men’s and women’s teams are planned.

A sizable gift from an anonymous donor is making the swim program possible, said Melanie Harmon, executive director of development. Use of North Manchester’s Aquatic Center by MU athletes and assistance in operation of the facility will strengthen the University’s connection with the community, Harmon said.

“We hope that the swimming coach will also join our exercise and sport sciences faculty,” Espeset said. “This also gives us opportunity to add diversity of subject matter to our faculty.”

Manchester will conduct a nationwide search to fill the position. The new coach will join MU with new student-athlete recruiting.

Sophomore freestyler Kalie Lastagarkov can think of 20 MU students who are ready to sign up for collegiate club swimming. “I’ve been swimming since fourth grade … I’ve always been around it,” said the management and marketing major who swam on the Griffith High School team.

MU will share the pool with community programs and swimmers, the Manchester High School swim team and an organization of young swimmers. The university will finance any physical or fiscal accommodations for the MU teams at the community pool, and will pay a lease.

The MU swim club will be open to any full-time university student, with an anticipated 20 to 30 student-athletes competing in a non-varsity swimming environment at the collegiate level. If all goes as planned, the team will be ready for NCAA Division III competition after the first year as a non-varsity club.

Many colleges and universities have swim clubs. As in wrestling and other individual sports, NCAA swimming competition begins at the regional level. The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, which is Manchester’s conference, currently does not award a championship in the sport.

Manchester will be the fifth HCAC school to sponsor swimming. Manchester University has 19 other NCAA teams. The swim teams will add two more.

Swimmers tend to be strong students academically because of the tremendous individual discipline and training required, Espeset said. "Adding a sport emphasizes the value that Manchester puts on the student-athlete experience as part of their overall educational experience. We look forward to providing that opportunity for more of our students."

NCAA Division III student-athletes do not receive scholarships to compete for their schools. The student truly comes first in the equation, giving them valuable lessons in teamwork, discipline, perseverance and leadership. More than 440 MU student-athletes compete in NCAA Division III sports.

Posted on 2013 Nov 12

News

Lagro Township board halts ‘illegal meeting’, Public notice wasn’t given as required by state statute

LAGRO -- The Lagro Township meeting was cut short Thursday Feb. 26 after newly elected board chairman Rob Cole proclaimed it an “illegal meeting” by Indiana State Code.

“Since Deb (Schenkel) isn’t here,” Cole said, “we’re really not supposed to meet because of the Indiana law states that, IC 5-14-1.5 states that there’s an open door law. Meetings have to be given 48-hours notice and it has to be posted at the location where we’re meeting and in you’re office Andy for 48-hours, otherwise we’re meeting illegally and we could be sued because of that. So I move that we adjourn this meeting and meet at a date where we’ve got this 48-hour notice.”

Lagro Township Trustee Andrew DeLong originally called the meeting with the board to elect the chairman and secretary positions as well as seek approval for the annual reports.

“(The meeting) was short notice, 48-hours,” DeLong said to the board. “There was a time constraint on getting the annual report in. The annual report is always advertised after our meeting within two weeks within in the paper.”

Two Wabash County communities received notice last week that they would receive funding from Lt.Gov. Sue Ellspermann’s office.

The City of Wabash will receive a $716,122 tax credit for the Rock City Lofts. The lofts are part of the city’s Stellar Community program.

Meanwhile, the Town of Lagro will receive $72,000 from Indiana’s Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program (BEP).

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) administers and manages the federal credits, which provide incentives for private developers to further the affordable housing choices throughout Indiana. Wabash’s was one of 16 projects to receive $12.5 million in tax credit allocations.